For us today, even if you don't have children. Even if you're unmarried, do you love and pursue good things? Do you have a taste for holy things, for pure things, for appropriate things? Things, righteous things? Are you leaving a godly testimony behind you and a legacy to those around you?
None of that mattered to this man. Here's the point. He was dishonorable in life. He is dishonored. In death.
The man that Stephen was referring to a moment ago is anyone who's blessed with family. possessions and health. and long life. yet has an empty soul. Each person has to choose one of two races.
You can run toward earthly success and fame and fortune and reputation. or you can race toward heavenly glory. In Ecclesiastes 6, Solomon describes two men who think that they have success but are losing the race of life. Welcome to Wisdom for the Heart. Today, Stephen shares the strategy for winning the eternal race of heaven.
This message is called Reversing the rules of the race. I read a story recently about an annual. bicycle race in a town in India that's become quite an interesting tradition. in this community. All the cyclists Line up.
With their bicycles at the starting line, the crowd lines. the street to cheer on their family member or their friend or associate. The official fires his starter pistol into the air, and the race. is off. But in this interesting tradition, the rules aren't what you would expect them to be.
In fact, in this race, they're reversed. The object of this race is to see. Who can travel the shortest distance? without tipping over. During a specified amount of time.
Racers would be disqualified if their feet touch the ground. The crowd grows wild. as each of the racers Inch forward. Just enough to keep their bikes. Balanced.
When the time is up and the gun sounds, The contenders who've gone the farthest Lose. And the person who has gone the shortest distance from the starting line. is declared The winner. Imagine You're traveling to India. You enter that race.
You brought a bike along. You don't understand how the race works. And when the starter pistol goes off, You pedal as hard and as fast As you can. I mean, you're soon out of breath. You're sweating.
But you're absolutely delighted because when you look around, there's nobody in sight. You've left everybody in your dust. As far as you can tell, nobody in India knows how to ride a bicycle as well as you can. You're thinking, this is fantastic, I'm gonna pedal harder, I'm gonna pedal faster, I'm gonna go farther. And then the gun sounds.
And you're thrilled because you are unquestionably the winner when, in fact, you are unquestionably. The loser. Because you misunderstood the rules of the race. misunderstood how the race is one. It isn't a matter of speed.
It isn't a matter of distance. It's a matter of balance. If you take your Bibles to the starting line of Ecclesiastes chapter 6.
Solomon is going to line up two racers, two contenders for the prize, so to speak. He's going to give us a brief description of why each contender thinks they're winning the race But then Solomon's going to show us why they are actually, unquestionably, losing. in the race of life. We're at chapter six now in our journey through this Private journal of Solomon. And verse 1, he just introduces with some comments.
Let's look just there. There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies. Heavy on mankind. This is his introductory moment. Don't read any further.
Don't read any further. Up here. Thank you. Yeah. It's the problem with going verse by verse.
Everybody's in verse 3, and you want to talk about verse 1. Before the official fires his starter pistol, Solomon is telling us ahead of time. This is going to be a tragic tale. This is gonna be A stomach churning. Story.
A heartbreaking scenario. That's behind that Hebrew word we've already looked at, evil. This is a tragic waste that Solomon is going to describe for us. Mark this, Solomon writes, it lies heavy on mankind. It's a weighty thing.
The human race groans under this troubling burden, both to experience or to even witness it.
Solomon essentially says, Let me tell you what I've witnessed in the rat race of life down here under the sun. It's not a pretty sight.
Now, with that introduction, the race begins. He focuses our attention. On this first contender, notice verse 2. Here's a man. to whom God gives wealth.
Possessions and honor.
So that he lacks nothing of all that he desires. Stop a moment. Notice the threefold description of this man, where we're told, I've underlined it in my text, he has wealth or riches, you could translate that Hebrew noun. It can refer to gold, silver, flocks, herds, houses, whatever. We're also told that he has Possessions, that's a different Hebrew noun that describes a tremendous stockpile.
He doesn't just have gold, he's got a mountain of it. He doesn't just have silver, he's got it stockpiled. He doesn't just have herds, you can't believe the herds or the houses. He's got this tremendous accumulation. Of all of them.
Thirdly, Solomon writes this man as honor. The word is kavod, it means heavy, it refers to fame. It refers to splendor. He's got it all. This is To me, where it gets intriguing Because as I read that description, it sounds like somebody we know.
It sounds Like Solomon. Talk about riches. Talk about a mountain of gold. Talk about herds and flocks. And houses more than he could ever enjoy or inhabit.
And fame, who had it like him? In fact, many Old Testament scholars I encountered in my study believe that Solomon is actually making a cameo appearance in this race. He has effectively photoshopped himself in. He's the first. Contender.
Another clue and I think the most Significant one is In fact, the only other place you find all three of these nouns in the Old Testament. Describing someone is Over in 2 Chronicles 2 and verses 10 and 11, where God tells Solomon in a dream that He's gonna give Solomon these three things: wealth, possessions. And honor. The same nouns used here in Ecclesiastes chapter 6. In fact, it's interesting to note that the only passages in the entire Old Testament.
Are these two passages Where these three nouns appear. In fact, they appear in the same Order.
Solomon is the man with incredible wealth. a staggering accumulation of possessions His fame is world renowned. Far and wide And if you could say, if he had a life verse, it'd be that little phrase tucked in there at the end of this one. Whatever. He desires, that's exactly what he gets.
He lacks nothing of all he desires. Whatever Solomon wants, Solomon gets There's little doubt that Solomon is painting himself into this race. He'd be easy to spot.
Some of you perhaps are right, you know, you can spend a little bit of money. You can spend a lot of money. He would be the guy with the best shoes. the most aerodynamic helmet. You'd have the coolest outfit.
His water bottle would be made of solid gold.
Okay, so He's way out in front of the pack. He is unquestionably winning. The race of life. Not so fast.
Solomon finishes this self-portrait. Notice the last part of verse 2. Yet God does not give him power. to enjoy them, these gifts. But a stranger enjoys them.
Oh, he laments. This is vanity. This is futility. This isn't winning. This is an empty life.
The Jewish Targum which is a commentary Or paraphrase on the Hebrew Old Testament, insert some words into the text so that it reads: Yet God does not give him power to enjoy them on account of sin. But a stranger enjoys them. We can't take that kind of liberty with a text. But it certainly fits the profile of what we've learned about this man. God had given him.
And by the way, he's given everyone on the planet any good gift they have James tells us, every good gift comes down from the Father. The world might not recognize it, but when it rained on their lawn, God sent that. When they took a breath, God gave them that.
Solomon has been the recipient of these gifts. Like probably nobody else, wealth, possession, And honor, but through his sin, through his unbelief, through his pride, and his ingratitude, without this relationship with God, fellowship with God, he hasn't been able to enjoy. Any of it. See, at the end of his life, he's writing this. I couldn't enjoy any of it.
It looked like I was winning. What futility? Remember from our last study We talked about that Christmas gift which comes But it doesn't come with the batteries. Batteries are sold separately. And so you gotta go find the batteries.
So also in life, satisfaction is sold separately. God gives gifts. Everyone around the planet has gifts, even the air they breathe, the life they have. But the power to enjoy them comes from a relationship with God, a relationship that's marked by surrender and obedience and confession and fellowship. And you rule those out.
You have no power to enjoy the next breath you take.
Solomon is out of fellowship with God. until he's writing the self-disclosing journal. He wasn't obedient to God. He was no longer grateful to God.
So he had all these gifts, but he had no power, which is another gift from God that comes separately to enjoy them. And we're told in verse 2, did you notice? A stranger. is enjoying them. The Hebrew word is often translated foreigner.
literally rendered A foreigner. Eight. Them.
So you could translate it.
Solomon doesn't tell us who the stranger is. It could be any number of things. It could be a thief. Could be a conquering foreign king or army. Could be This stranger.
A broker that you thought you knew and trusted who ripped you off. It could be.
Someone who was a a friend. And then you found it you really didn't know them. And they took something from you. The point is, Solomon is essentially saying that while it might look like he's winning. The race.
He's way out in front. He's come to the realization he's been racing according to the wrong set of rules. He's been loaded. Down. but without satisfaction.
Or joy. He doesn't enjoy anything. I came across an anonymous poem. You may have heard bits and pieces of it in the past, but it reads this and summarizes Solomon's point well. Money can buy a pillow.
but not peace of mind. Money can buy entertainment, but not satisfaction Money can buy food. But not an appetite. Money can buy a house, but not a home. Money can buy status.
But not salvation. Money can buy a passport to the world. But not to heaven. Let's go back to the race. And notice contender number two.
In verse 3, just the first few lines. He writes, If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years.
So that the days of his years are many. But his soul is not satisfied with life's good things. Things. Stop for a moment. Listen carefully.
to this description. Because, as far as many people in the world are concerned, this guy. This guy is the real winner. He might not have any money. But he's got a full quiver.
I mean, look at it, 100 children. Children, Solomon's writing with hyperbole, that is exaggeration, in order to make his point. And his point of exaggeration is simple: this contender doesn't have a lot of money, but look at him. He's surrounded by a huge family. And he's lived long enough.
Evidently, the implication is he's lived long enough to see children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and maybe more. That's probably why he doesn't have any money. It's all in diapers. big minivan or whatever. See, but in the Near East Family is the definition of success.
This man is obviously winning. the race of life. He's so far ahead nobody will catch him. Did he Inserts this spoiler. It's rather tragic phrase.
Did you notice it? but his soul is not satisfied with life's Good. Things. Gregory, the second-century church leader who wrote the first commentary we have extant.
Well, the book of Ecclesiastes paraphrases it to read, There is no goodness in his soul. That would be accurate. That's what it means. The word good, we've encountered it already. It's a Hebrew word which means beautiful or fitting.
or appropriate or excellent, precious. valuable. This is the kind of thing you go after. It's a reference to those things that are truly good. things.
in life. But his soul is not satisfied. He doesn't want this. He's not interested in the best things. He's not interested in the right things, the fitting things, the righteous things, the pure things.
He has no taste. For goodness. in his soul.
Now that might not be obvious to his coworkers out there. Uh people who work around him, they might think, man. Really? Not him. The word translated soul here in the text is a reference to his inner self.
Secret. Life. His true feelings, his true intentions, his true loyalties, his true inclinations. What he Truly. Loves.
In other words, what Solomon is doing is introducing us to somebody who's unredeemed, unconverted. Polluted inwardly. He's got a He's got a big family, but he's got a wicked heart. That's what he's saying. He doesn't have any appetite for that which is pure and holy and righteous.
And evidently In the privacy of his home, He's surrounded by children. These are good gifts. But he doesn't really care about them. The implication is he has no genuine interest in loving them or discipling them or leading them or modeling integrity before them. He's got this huge family, but they're just Near Eastern status symbols.
Yeah, look at me. They're just pawns. He really only cares about himself. And evidently Who he really is over time becomes obvious to his children. And to his family, because of this rather stunning development in verse 3.
Notice: his soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial. He has No Burial. More on that in a moment.
Solomon goes on, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For it comes in Vanity. goes in darkness. And in darkness its name is covered. Obscure.
Moreover, Here's why it's better. This stillborn child has not seen the sun. or known anything. It finds rest rather than ease.
Solomon's contrasting a baby who dies in the womb with the death of a man who has 100 children. And Solomon concludes that a stillborn baby is better off than this man who's lived a long life. Why would that be? It's because the baby doesn't experience the difficulties of life under the sun. He never saw it.
He didn't experience suffering and pain. In fact, We know that upon death it goes immediately to be With its creator, God, and immediately enjoys the honor and glory of God. That's really another sermon. But this man, surrounded by children, experiences the greatest dishonor imaginable. He's not even given a proper burial by his kids.
And don't put him in the burial plot and the family. Cemetery. You could translate it. He literally dies unlamented. Nobody's crying.
At his funeral. In fact, they don't even throw a funeral for him. The implication is that he's been a revered man out there among his peers. He's been impressive to those people that don't really know him that well. probably envied.
Probably of such a large family, somewhat well-to-do. and no doubt famous in his neck of the woods. Everything on the outside looks great. I mean, look at this guy race. Wow.
He's way ahead. The reality is he doesn't love God. Doesn't love his family, those things that are righteous in life. And guess what? His family grows up.
to not love him either. In fact, they probably detest him to the point that they do the most dishonorable thing. Nobody's Offering a funeral. He's going to be buried in an unmarked grave somewhere with others who are either homeless or remain unidentified. They have grown up and they have grown up to detest this hypocrite.
They have seen the evidence of what is truly in his soul. They can't stand him. He really wasn't winning. Warren Weirsby writes on this text. His family has merely wondered when the old man will die.
And when he finally dies, they're only interested in the reading. of us well. The outside, for decades, it looked like this man was winning. I mean, if the rules of the race are having children and a big family and huge reunions and birthday parties every other weekend, this man was so far ahead nobody could ever catch up to him. Then the gun sounds.
The race is over. And you discover the fact they weren't the rules for the race after all. Had nothing to do with how many children he had, but what he modeled in front of the ones he did. For us today, even if you don't have children. Even if you're unmarried.
Do you love and pursue good things? Do you have a taste for holy things, for pure things, for appropriate things, righteous things? Are you leaving a godly testimony behind you and a legacy to those around you? None of that mattered to this man. Here's the point.
He was dishonorable in life. He is dishonored. In death. Notice Solomon adds an addendum. to this contender's life.
In verse 6, Well, we read, even though he should live a thousand years. Twice over. Yet enjoy no good. That is, he lives another thousand years, but he still doesn't like anything pure. He still doesn't like anything holy.
He still doesn't have a converted appetite. Even if he lived another thousand years, twice over. He's going to die just like everybody else and realize then the rules. of life. were reversed.
The oldest man who ever lived was Methuselah. According to Genesis chapter 5, he lived 960 years. Nine years during the early years of God's newly minted creation.
Solomon says, what if this contender here is able to stay in the race twice as long as Methuselah? Let's just say 2,000 years. The conclusion remains the same. His heart hasn't been changed, and if his heart hasn't been changed, what good is a long life? With an empty heart.
It's only another thousand years. of self-centered. Misery. and waste. Here's Solomon's point.
You could live Twice as long as anybody else has ever lived. You could have more children than anybody else has ever had. You could have more money. and possessions than anyone else has ever owned. But if God is not involved, It'll all be worthless.
Without a redeemed heart. A converted soul. A personal walk with God. Let's bring it into the 21st century. her faith in Christ The Messiah who came.
You could be like one of these contenders today. The first contender in this race. had a full bank account. But no joy. The second contender had a full quiver.
But no love. It strikes me that the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life bears fruit. And those are the first two fruits. Love. Enjoy.
The rules for a meaningful life are. Reversed. They're the opposite of what the world is cheering on, and the world is to this day lined up, and they're cheering on guys that are pedaling faster and farther. Yeah, man, that's the way. You're you're amazing.
It's not how far or how fast you can pedal It's how well you Balance. Balancing those things that truly matter in life.
So, where do you begin? Begin with Jesus. Who saves your soul and changes your heart and gives you an appetite for the right and good and fitting things? You begin with Jesus Christ and you walk with Him and you spend time in His Word and you obey Him and daily confess to Him as we've done together already this morning because we fail Him and we thank Him for His grace in having redeemed us. He is the balancer.
of our lives. The Apostle Paul wrote it this way: It is no longer I who live. But Christ Who lives? In me. And the life which I now live by faith in the Son of God, I live.
According to this one who loved me and gave himself for me, now that I'm rightly related to him. I can pursue those things that matter. with balance. See, beloved, it's useless to add years. your life.
Unless you add life. to your years. Jesus said, I am the way. I am the truth. And I am the life.
You start with him. You balance life through him. You don't live a day. Without him, this was the personal testimony. of a Methodist circuit riding preacher in the early frontier years of our country.
who wrote his personal testimony in lyrical form. It goes like this: all my life long, I had thirsted for a drink. from some clear spring. that I hoped would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within. Hallelujah.
I have found him. Whom my soul so long has craved, Jesus satisfies my longings. Through his blood I now am saved.
Well of water? Ever springing, bread of life, so rich, so free. Untold wealth that never faileth. My Redeemer is to me. Hallelujah, I have found him.
whom my soul so long has craved, Jesus. Satisfies my longings through his blood, I now am. Save. It's meaningless. It's useless.
It's emptiness, no matter how good you look. No matter how far you ride. How fast you get there, it's emptiness. to try to add years to your life. Unless you are adding Life.
His life. to your Years. It may be that you're not totally consumed with running the race toward worldly success. But there might be one aspect of your life where that's true. And I hope this time in God's Word will cause you to conduct some evaluation.
And when you identify areas that need adjusting, that you'll reorient those areas of your life. toward God's glory. Thanks for listening to Wisdom for the Heart. The lesson today is called Reversing the Rules of the Race. and comes from a series in Ecclesiastes called Surviving Evil Under the Sun.
By the way, some of Stephen's lessons are also available in video. and you can stream those from the archive on our website. This series Surviving evil under the sun is is one of those that has a video option. If you navigate to Stephen's Teaching Archive, Under Books of the Bible, and then find Ecclesiastes. you'll be able to watch the video of when Stephen first preached these messages.
Just go to wisdomonline.org. and you'll find all of Stephen's teaching there. Once again, that's wisdomonline.org. Thanks so much for joining us today. Please be with us next time for more wisdom for the hearts.
